Sydney, April 01: Former South Africa coach Mickey Arthur will coach Western Australia for the next three seasons, the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) said on Thursday.
Arthur, 41, takes charge after Tom Moody did not seek re-appointment to the position.
Arthur resigned in January after five years as South Africa’s national team coach following the Proteas’ failure to beat England in a home Test series.
“I stated when I announced my resignation from the South African post that I would only return to coaching if the ideal challenge presented itself and I have found that challenge with the (WA) Warriors,” Arthur said in a statement.
“Western Australia is a fiercely proud cricketing state and I am determined to do all that I can to help the Warriors return to the top of Australian cricket.”
Arthur said his experience of coaching at provincial and international level in the past decade would prove to be a great asset.
The highlights of Arthur’s South Africa tenure were Test series wins in England and Australia in 2008, while South Africa achieved the official number one ranking in both Test and one-day cricket during his time in charge.
Under Arthur, South Africa won 22 of 45 Tests with seven drawn, and 63 out of 105 ODIs.
“My family and I are also greatly looking forward to making the move to Perth, which has always been one of my favourite places to visit whenever I was on tour with the Proteas,” he said.
WACA Chief Executive Graeme Wood said Arthur was selected after a thorough process containing several outstanding candidates.
“Mickey?s track record of success at domestic and international level speaks for itself, but his passion and drive to help the Warriors get back to the top of Australian cricket was clearly evident in all of our dealings with him,” Wood said.
Wood added WACA would be looking to fill the role of state assistant coach in the coming weeks.
WA finished fourth behind Victoria in this season’s Sheffield Shield four-day competition.
——–Agencies